"Since your sword can open the Second Rank, Seventh Uncle, why not go directly to the palace with Li Liangshen and, hmm hmm that person, then the princess would no longer need to be the crown princess, she’d be the empress of the world instead."

The emperor has passed away, and the crown prince ascends the throne immediately.

"Your Highness, you must be joking. Although the great lord in the palace has already died at Tianhu Mountain, the inner palace is not a place that’s easy to infiltrate.

Are you out of things to say, asking such a question?"

"But he couldn’t even protect his own son. The fourth and fifth princes both live in this prince’s residence. If you hadn’t come to kill me tonight, killing them would have been just as easy."

"The defenses at the prince’s residence are quite tight. I only managed to get in because I carried the princess’s token, claiming I was here to deliver congratulations to Your Highness.

This Yanjing city isn’t a place anyone can come and go as they please. In the past, when Master Zang from Qian State came to our Yanjing to cut the Dragon Vein, before he even reached the capital, we had already reacted and prepared.

The current situation is nothing more than me being one of the people close to the princess, a family member, nothing more."

A strong fortress is usually breached from the inside.

Yanjing, as the capital of Yan, unless besieged by a large army, is a difficult place for any ordinary expert to enter and act wantonly.

When the Baili Sword came, he only quietly gathered Master Zang’s last lotus and left.

But it is precisely today that action is taken,

and it is precisely the princess who acts,

The originally very tight defenses and vigilance became mere decorations in such extreme circumstances.

"Actually, it’s still because Your Highness was too careless. If you wanted to gather some experts to protect you, it’s something you could have done.

How could those big trading houses and escort agencies not have Imperial Censorate Officers in their hands? Bringing them over is just a word from you.

There was supposed to be a red-clad attendant Qi cultivator responsible for monitoring the prince’s residence, but because of Li Liangshen’s unusual behavior, coming out from the West Garden and heading to the military barracks without leaving the city, they were drawn to keep an eye on Li Liangshen instead.

But at the end of the day, it was still your carelessness. As the saying goes, ’The son of a thousand gold does not sit under the hall.’ You gave me this chance."

Fanli, sitting on the ground, agreed and said:

"Right."

Fanli couldn’t help but think of his own lord, who always traveled with A Ming by his side, a Mo Wan in his chest, with Shatuo Queshi lying beneath the place he stayed, and the Sword Saint as a neighbor.

One should really not mock his lord for being overly cautious,

Looking at the situation now,

Fanli thought his lord was truly cunning!

If this old man, called Seventh Uncle here, had come to assassinate his own lord today,

the result,

hehehe.

In such a serious and heavy atmosphere,

Fanli actually let out a silly laugh.

Seventh Uncle looked at Fanli somewhat surprised and said, "Quite the spirit."

Hearing the praise, Fanli scratched his head a little embarrassedly.

Ji Chengjue, a bit helpless, straightened his slightly sore neck, poured himself some wine, and raised his cup to Seventh Uncle:

"Come on, cheers."

Seventh Uncle graciously clinked glasses with Ji Chengjue.

"Actually, it’s not that I wasn’t careful." Ji Chengjue began, "In this city, being able to dispatch two such high-level experts to assassinate one person, besides my father, probably only the princess could do it."

One of the four great swordsmen, and another who could showcase a Second Rank sword.

For ordinary nobles, gathering two experts of this level is something only encountered by chance. At this level, there are really not many who can command them to do things.

But precisely, the princess has them by her side, and she just happened to go mad tonight.’

"Your Highness is still hung up on this."

Ji Chengjue looked at Master Zhang and said, "Actually, it’s not that I never thought of placing some experts by my side, but let’s put it this way, my father often skimps my belongings, and over the years, the people around me have met quite a miserable fate. Even those songstresses I used to have singing at my house were all taken by my father to the training institute.

This lesson has to be learned."

Master Zhang, hearing this, kowtowed and said:

"Master, it’s the servant’s fault."

"No, no, no, it’s not your fault. Although, if I were to die, you’d probably end up being buried with me, so don’t feel guilty."

Upon hearing this, Master Zhang actually laughed and nodded.

"Oh dear."

Ji Chengjue looked somewhat helplessly at Fanli and said:

"You know, if I die tonight, my father probably wouldn’t avenge me, what about Zheng Fan?"

Fanli responded:

"Lord Pingye has always admired the Earl of North Border."

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Ji Chengjue was somewhat hurt,

but still deftly poured himself another cup of wine and said,

"Today, I’ve really learned a lesson. It was because I always thought I was too smart that I let my guard down. I shouldn’t underestimate women."

In the long period that followed,

those who should be sitting,

were seated,

Fanli even let out a slight snore.

The two at the table continued to drink slowly, occasionally clinking their glasses together.

And the time,

was almost up.

One could clearly feel the thinning sensation of the night about to give way to dawn.

Ji Chengjue was already a bit drunk, his eyes bloodshot.

Seventh Uncle stood up,

picked up his sword,

Master Zhang also stood up, ready to fight to the death, although he knew full well that since the opponent could unleash a move of the Second Rank, he was in no position to stop the other from killing.

Fanli was also pinched awake by the sword maid,

wiped off his drool,

opened his eyes wide and looked ahead, seemingly having been waiting for a long time, the play had finally reached the real climax, he couldn’t miss it.

No reinforcements,

and no mercy at the edge of a sword,

when the sword’s edge fell,

the Sixth Prince of Yan would completely bid farewell to this world.

At this moment,

Ji Chengjue shook his wine jug and found it empty, could only somewhat discontentedly toss the jug aside, complaining:

"I don’t want to die yet, I haven’t lived enough, how can I go before that Zheng fellow?"

Seventh Uncle smiled, drawing his sword.

Yet at this moment,

a deep bell tolled:

"Dong! Dong! Dong!..."

The direction from which the bell sounds came was the palace.

It was the sound of the Departure Bell.

If the Departure Bell at the four city gates rang, it would signal an enemy in that direction of Yan.

But when the Departure Bell in the palace rang first,

it meant one of the most honorable bloodlines in Yan had passed away.

Nine rings for the emperor’s death;

and the bell,

stopped after the eighth ring.

Seventh Uncle’s sword did not fall but lingered in mid-air, muttering:

"Eight rings..."

Ji Chengjue squinted his drunken eyes,

lay on the table,

and said:

"The empress has passed."

————

Thanks to Chen Erqi and Lingchen Jizi for becoming the 112th and 113th leaders of Maglin.